Category Archives: books

i have been asked by several folks how i “do it all” and wanted to point out that there is much that i don’t get done. right now, there is a game of risk strewn across the living and dining room floors, my kid’s room is the remains of an epic barbie/pet shop animals battle that took place this afternoon, and there is a houseplant sitting in my kitchen sink.

my mom said something the other day that shifted how i view housekeeping and homemaking. i was overwhelmed with how much i had to do, and she said “why don’t you make a list of all you’ve already done”? and i have been thinking of what i’ve accomplished, today and over the course of becoming a mother. i have done a lot!

so, i like lists. i like to write them, and check items off of them. what really helps me keep all i have to do in order is my big fat notebook.

i have divided it into several sections, and will discuss a little about each bit 🙂

1. homemaking –

first i have our routines written down, we have a morning routine and a bedtime routine for the kids. in addition to that, i have a basic and very flexible daily schedule. there is a list of tasks that need to be done daily, which would be different for each household. for ours, it’s: the dishes, sweeping and spot mopping the floors, a quick wipe-down of the bathroom, and at least 2 loads of laundry.

i have our chores broken down into a weekly schedule. again, this would need to be customized for someone else’s home. monday is our weekly home blessing in which i clean out the fridge, change and wash all the sheets, take out all trash, sweep/mop all floors, dust, wipe down walls/baseboards, appliances, trash cans, and wash the rugs. the other days of the week i work in a specific room and do a “big” task in there, in addition to normal tidying. i also have printed out a whole mess of these daily dockets. after that is my cleaning checklists from marthastewart.com. there are weekly, monthly, and seasonal lists.

next is the meal planning section, where i have made a list of our most frequently used recipes and the ingredients required. there is also a monthly calender where i write down our dinners for the month.

2. School

in the school section, the first thing i have is the parenting manifesto of joy. then i have a list of our good habits we will be working on, with corresponding memory verses i have put together. then we have the ‘formidable list of attainments for a child of six‘, which we are working towards. after that, i have all the things i need for each subject. and then our school schedule, which was such a blessing as a free resource from an ambleside yahoo group! after the schedule, i have our exam questions for the year.

3. spirit

this is most eclectic portion of my notebook, but also my favorite. first i have about 10-12 of my favorite prayers – my most favorite being ‘the litany of humility.’ after that is a study i did on healing, and about 3 or 4 pages of notes and scriptures about it. and then i have a lot of resources for sozo, an inner healing/deliverance ministry which i feel called to do. after that i have several different e-books and prayer books, and other random things i find helpful in spirituality. (mostly teachings/resources printed from IHOP or mars hill bible church.)

i am not the best at accomplishing goals i’ve set 🙂 it’s my mischievous streak coming through, if i feel i “must” do something, i don’t want to anymore. therefore, no nablopomo.

just popping on while the kids are still sleeping- we are taking a family wide break from the computer. the girls want to watch shows far more than we are comfortable with. i realized i spend far too much time on the computer, modeling improper behavior. so we’ve stepped back.

not to worry- i am checking my e-mail and staying in contact with everyone, but it might not be as prompt a response as i typically send out!

i’ve been reading andrew murray’s “raising your children for christ”, this timeless book is resonating with me on so many levels. a few excerpts that have pierced my heart:

“the art of education is to bring pleasure and duty into harmony. both may be attained without the sacrifice of either.”

“this is the principle which lies at the root of all true education: what i am to make my child to be, i must first be myself. being an example is more than rules and teaching. what i am and do is more than what i tell him to be or do.”

“parental instruction must come from the heart. we all know that instruction has little influence on children when given by an apathetic teacher. it is only the heart that captures the heart of another. it is the loving warmth of interest and affection of the teacher that awakens corresponding emotions in the heart of the pupil.”

“when the work of instructing a child becomes a burden, you may be sure it is an indication of something wrong within your own heart.”

today my prayer is to see all through Jesus’ eyes…to love folks with Jesus’ heart. and to follow the promptings of the Spirit, when i am shying away from a place of love and into a place of selfishness.

today i’m thankful for:-bobby pins & scarves-coffee dates and time spent with friends to look forward to-lengthy chats about kathmandu and what’s going there-crisp morning air and birdsongs-sweet kids, sweet lovey, sweet life-c.s. lewis & books which are so delightful one feels the need to underline the entire text and/or make a note on each margin.

friday nite was super fun, save for the bizarre crowd. how can you stand still while the psalters and mewithoutyou are playing? so silly. brady pointed out you can’t dance when you have fancy cameras and phones on your person, obviously. mewithoutyou is the best, though. i seriously wanted to put them in my pocket and bring them home. well played and inspired music, hurray! their sufi vibe is pretty good, too. 🙂

speaking of sufi, i’m reading a fabulous book on the subject: the sufis. well, it’s taking me quite some time to finish as i don’t have the same kind of allotted reading time as i used to. but i’m getting through it! and every page is totally resonating.

confession: i’m a heavily active participant in marginalia. i underline, write in the margins, edit, what have you. and i’m loving this sufi book so much, well, basically the whole book is underlined.

is there anything better than tracking a package? i think not. i have several books on the way, and i’m obsessively refreshing. (the creative family and the handmade home, both by amanda soule)

well, i’m off to set my timer and work on my bedroom. the flylady and i are on again.

my husband wrote a book…my husband wrote a book, a novel, a work of fiction. a book. have you written a book? i haven’t written a book. i know very few people who have started, and finished, writing a book.

in november 2007, he decided to participate in nanowrimo. he wrote, he drank energy drinks, he worked all day and came home and wrote. he wrote, he ate candy bars, and he wrote. he wrote, he laughed and cried and wondered where the heck are these crazy characters taking us? and he wrote. and i read the pages one by one as they came off the typewriter, falling in love with this book, these characters, and brady all over again. on the sunday after thanksgiving, he finished. and it was celebratory and fabulous. (and we realized just how much work it was going to be to enter an entire novel onto the computer. it wasn’t what one would call a fun task, but i’d do it again!)

after almost 2 years, i think that perhaps 3 or 4 people have read this novel. it has been listed on lulu, he has sent it to a few places, no one seems all that interested. and i realize that i’m biased, and i realize brady might not be the perfect marriage of rilke and bukowski, but he’s darn close. and everyone, every single person, needs to read this book. not because brady penned it, not because i want everyone to recognize what a fabulous writer he is, but because we all need to stop and listen to the point of this book. it’s about being kind, it’s about loving each other. it’s not just a riot and a hoot, it’s important. and if you can’t get over all the F-bombs and all the exclamation points, then perhaps you need to read it more than anyone else.

last nite, my little family was sleeping, save f0r emma and i. we colored pictures, chatted about everything and had a great time together.

last nite, i was sitting on the front porch and recognized every thing in my life i’m truly grateful for. and i prayed for sad situations, and i hoped that things would all work themselves out, as things tend to do. and i felt so renewed and peaceful.

last nite, i cleaned the kitchen. i hadn’t cleaned my kitchen in probably over a month. (thank you, mama and lovey!!) i cannot express how fulfilling it was to wash the dishes and wipe down the counters. i missed the kitchen, the heart of our home.

today is going to be magnificent.

in other news, i finished reading pygmy by chuck palahniuk. he’s definitely got the chuck spark back! i was sorely disappointed in the last few that have come out (snuff, haunted…) so, it was nice to read a good chuck book, in all it’s gore and slime and hilarity.

what great timing! speaking of slime, the baby just exploded a diaper on my lap, off to start my day!